SHAGGY CRIES SHAME: knocks Gov’t entities for charity concert fees

International recording artiste, Shaggy, is knocking the Government and a number of Government departments for the fees which he said were charged for the recent

staging the Shaggy and Friends Concert, a charity event which is geared at raising funds for his Make A Difference Foundation that assists the Bustamante Hospital For Children.

While making the presentation of $100 million in the boardroom at the hospital on Thursday, Shaggy, although thanking current Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, as well as his predecessors, outlined a number of expenses that the concert organisers had to pay to Government entities to ensure that the event took place.

The ‘Boombastic’ deejay bemoaned having to pay out $50 million of the $100 million that the show made directly.

He later explained that local and international donors, including corporate entities and individuals, assisted to enable the venture to return to the $100 million intake level that had been targetted beforehand.

Shaggy told the gathering at the presentation that, “our expenses were ridiculous this year. I just want to point out some things. Charity, yuh si dah word deh; charity. Mi nuh really haffi duh this, as my money all right.

“Charity, that’s a big word. When we come to people and we ask them to do things, and these are people that we have dealt with from several concerts; when dem bill come in three and four times weh it supposed to be, or weh wi used to before, it kinda raise a red flag fi mi,” Shaggy declared.

He said the organisers had to pay over $1.2 million to Government entities to stage the concert, including to the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), the National Works Agency (NWA), and $200,000 for the use the lawns at King’s House.

In further venting his feelings, Shaggy said: “What we are doing is to help the hospital, which is a Government hospital. That’s all mi a seh. We are trying to make it easier for the Government to not put certain amount of money, or to ease the burden.

“And I just think that they have to look into that word deh – charity – a little bit more, and just kind of help us where that is concerned. I do appreciate all the help, and we do appreciate everybody coming on board,” Shaggy said.

He then said that the Make A Difference Foundation is a charity of full disclosure, before advising Jackie Tyson, a member of the Shaggy and Friends team, to give details of the money that was earned from the show.

She explained that among the funds generated from the event was $90 million from ticket sales, along with $29 million from corporate sponsorship, and $21 million from fundraising initiatives.

Shaggy concluded thaat, “we are here to try and fix this thing, and I always say that Bustamante is like a bucket with a hole, that no matter what, the bucket will never be filled, but if we can help the leakage to be less, I am at a start.”